STYLE AND CULTURE

COLE SPROUSE STYLE FILE

By Sam Higgins, March 8, 2018

Cameras are Cole Sprouse’s thing. Whether in front of them, where he has been since he was eight months old — starring with his identical twin brother, Dylan, in their first diaper commercial — or, more recently, behind them. He's shot the likes of Sam Smith for the cover of L’Uomo Vogue, Kendall Jenner for The Sunday Times, Sophie Turner for W Magazine, and a number of his Riverdale co-stars on downtime between their six-days-a-week, 14-hour-day filming schedule. ASOS Magazine caught up with him for their 100th issue...

What advice would you give to other young actors?
My brother and I were rare examples of kids who were in the industry, in similar positions, and just said fuck it. I can’t recommend enough for people, who grow up in that kind of limelight, to go to school and take time for themselves. Aside from a solid father figure, and my relationship with my brother, it’s the single greatest thing that kept me away from the kind of insanity that is often coupled with child stardom.

You came close to quitting...
I was doing photography, which was slowly but surely taking off, I had my archaeological career and I was studying to go to grad school. It didn’t feel like I was being valued in acting the way that I was being valued in the other professions I was pursuing. But then I booked Riverdale and I found out how much I loved the process and the project, gave my all to it, and it turned out to be a success.

Do you think you’ll always be acting?
I can envision a time when there is no acting in my life. Would I like that? I don’t necessarily think so. It still brings me a lot of passion, but I’m in a place now where acting is no longer a necessity — if it stops becoming enjoyable, I won’t do it anymore.

You’re a keen photographer too...
My photography is tremendously informed by my youth. 90% of the stuff I shoot is in the wilderness because I don’t want to be anywhere near people, which was the product of a paranoia of a childhood in the public eye.

How do you tackle anxiety?
I don’t have to deal with anxiety as much as I used to, it’s the scariest thing, but you have to look it right in the eye and understand it’s not going anywhere. Once I found a confidence in myself and how I interacted with the world around me, all of a sudden, people weren’t criticizing me the way they used to when I was consistently thinking about it.

Pictures: Olivia Rose, Styled by Luke Raymond

How do you take yourself away from all that?
I built myself a Jeep with my dad, so I drive into the woods and find beautiful cinematic landscapes, but I work a lot right now, so I have to remind myself to take that time. I recently reread 1984 by Orwell, though, one of the most important books to read right now. I don’t put books down, but it’s hard for me if I don’t like a text within the first 10 pages. I’ll just throw that motherf****r across the room and never pick it up again.